Defensive line coach Andre Patterson says Carter was “born with” a unique ability
New York Giants’ rookie edge defender Abdul Carter has a gift that defensive line coach Andre Patterson has seen just one other time in a coaching career that began in 1982.
“I think he’s explosive. He’s quick. He’s sudden,” Patterson said. “But I think the thing that’s unique in him, when they had me look at him and evaluate him before the draft, is he has an uncanny ability to feel how to win at the top of the rush.”
That doesn’t sound all that special, right? Well, Patterson was just getting warmed up in his explanation of why it actually is.
“A lot of guys blow the rush when they get to the top of the rush,” Patterson said. “A lot of guys are quick. A lot of guys are explosive. A lot of guys can go edge to edge. But when they get to the top of the rush, they become mechanical. And as a coach, it takes guys two, three, four years to figure that out.
“Well, he was born with that. That’s the thing that he was born with, that just naturally when he gets to the top of the rush, he has a feel of where to go. And I think that’s the thing that makes him unique.”
Patterson has coached a lot of tremendous pass rushers. John Randle, Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen with the Minnesota Vikings. Elvis Dumervil with the Denver Broncos. He now coaches Dexter Lawrence with the Giants, and also gets to work with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Patterson is not Carter’s position coach. He does, though, handle coordination of the entire third-down pass rush scheme and works with all of the rushers at that time.
He said “not very many” naturally have that ability to win at the top of the rush.
“That’s the reason why a guy comes in as a rookie, it takes him two or three years to all of a sudden become a guy,” Patterson said. “The only guy I’ve had in my 24 seasons was Elvis Dumervil, and we drafted him in Denver … Everybody dropped him in the draft because he was 5-11, and ran 4.9. But I’m watching him on tape, and I’m like, this dude knows how to win at the top of the rush. And I hadn’t seen that on tape until I saw him.”
The Broncos got Dumervil in Round 4 of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played for 11 seasons, compiled 105 sacks, was a first-team All-Pro twice and made the Pro Bowl six times.
By the way, what precisely does Patterson mean by “top of the rush”? I asked him exactly what he was referring to, and his answer revealed more about the unique ability he believes Carter possesses. Oh, and Patterson’s passion for the pass rush.
“When we get to the part where there’s combat between me and you,” Patterson said, reaching out toward an unsuspecting 64-year-old reporter to demonstrate. “A lot of guys blow their rush at that time because, hey, I may have your hands, okay, but being able to feel where your body is, okay, your head’s outside, I’m finishing inside, right? Your head’s inside, I got the edge, I can go, you know what I mean? He’s sitting soft, go to power. He’s sitting firm, bend around the corner.
“That’s a lot of stuff, right? Well, it takes drill after drill after drill after drill to get a guy to feel that. This dude was born with that. And a lot of guys, most guys, don’t have that.”
Carter aligned this spring as an edge defender, with his hand in the ground as a defensive tackle and defensive end, and as on off-the-ball linebacker. There is, though, no fuss about his main position. That’s edge defender, and that means his position coach is Charlie Bullen.
“He wants to be great, and the way’s he’s operated reflects that,” Bullen said during mandatory minicamp.
Bullen said it’s a “pretty easy evaluation” when watching Carter’s film, adding that he has “a natural feel for the game.”
“The thing that jumps off the tape right away is just his ability to finish,” Bullen said. “Sometimes as a coach that can be a hard thing to teach, and he has it, and it was pretty obvious early on.”
Head coach Brian Daboll said during mandatory minicamp that Carter has some “special traits. Bullen said those traits are “as advertised” from his Penn State film.
“They’re pretty good.”
Carter was described by fellow edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux as “a beast.” Brian Burns, the other member of the team’s trio of edge defenders, said Carter is “everything that I expected, very twitchy, and explosive. He does have an array of moves.”
GM Joe Schoen said on draft night that the Giants were “high-fiving and hugging” when the were able to select Carter third overall. Wherever he aligned during the spring, he was a handful. Albeit linemen are not in pads and could not be physical in their effort to slow pass rushers.
Giants’ right tackle Jermaine Eleumunor lined up against Carter frequently during the spring.
“I think he’s going to be a really good player,” Eluemunor said. “It’s been fun playing against him. He’s an explosive kid and I think that it’s really good to have him on this team. I can’t really compare him to anyone because he’s his own player, but him, (outside linebacker Brian) Burns, Tibs (outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux), they’re going to be a hell of a trio.”
That is what the Giants are counting on.
